Daniel McAdams

Wednesday November 1, 2017

"We're long past the time we should have gotten out of Afghanistan," US Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) told the Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security today. The Congressman, who sits on the Ron Paul Institute's Board of Advisors, brought in quotes from Georgie Anne Geyer, William F. Buckley, Jr., and even the New York Times, to make the case that our involvement in places like Afghanistan for years on end weaken the United States. "I cannot understand how any true fiscal conservative can be in favor of dragging this war on forever," he told the Committee. read on...

Thursday July 27, 2017

Minutes ago the US Senate passed HR 3364, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act by a massive 98 yeas to two nays. Opposing the bill were Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). The bill passed in the House by 419-3 on Tuesday, with Reps Massie (R-KY), Amash (R-MI), and Duncan (R-TN) opposing.read on...

Tuesday July 25, 2017

Late this afternoon the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HR 3364, the "Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act." The vote was 419-3, with the only nays coming from Republicans Justin Amash (R-MI), John Duncan (R-TN), and Thomas Massie (R-KY).

The bill adds additional sanctions on Russia as punishment for the as-yet-unproven claims that Moscow somehow interfered in US elections to help secure a victory for Donald Trump. It also seeks to punish Russia for its supposed involvement in Ukraine -- ignoring that unrest in Ukraine stems from the US-initiated coup against the democratically elected government of Yanukovich in 2014.

The legislation ties the president's hands in an unprecedented way, as should Trump decide in the course of his Constitutional authority as Executive to pursue a foreign policy requiring the canceling of sanctions he is not free to do so. He must write to Congress asking permission to end the sanctions and give convincing reason why Congress should agree. Congress then has 30 days to consider the President's request during which time he is forbidden from taking any action on the matter.read on...

Thursday June 29, 2017

While Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Charter is inarguably non-binding on Member countries to use military force to defend other Members, that such a response is required has become an article of faith through repeated mis-interpretation of the Article. In fact, a careful reading of Article 5 makes it clear that other NATO Members are free to do nothing at all if another Member is attacked. A NATO Member is only bound to take "such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." It may well be deemed necessary to ignore an attack on a NATO Member in many circumstances.read on...

Monday June 12, 2017

The Senate is expected to vote as early as tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon on a measure to disapprove of President Trump's announced deal to transfer half a billion dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The bipartisan measure, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), could lead to the Senate blocking the massive weapons sale, striking a serious blow to what the President touted as a major achievement of his first foreign trip last month.read on...

Tuesday June 6, 2017

Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC) has looked at war from both sides. As he has readily shared with us, he was hoodwinked by the US intelligence community in the run-up to the Iraq war. He attended the briefings and he trusted the "professionals." As the neocon promised "cakewalk" turned out to be a slaughterhouse, he began to think hard about what he had been told about Iraq and terrorism and 9/11.read on...

Tuesday May 23, 2017

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is expected to offer legislation as early as tomorrow (Wednesday) to force a Senate vote on President Trump's freshly-inked deal to sell $110 billion in US weapons to Saudi Arabia. Using the increased authority over the transfer of American-made weapons overseas granted Congress by the 1976 Arms Control Export Act, Senator Paul, according to an aide, will introduce a motion of disapproval regarding the sale.read on...

Thursday December 1, 2016

Forget that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) agreed between Iran and the so-called P5+1 consisting of the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and the European Union has by all accounts been one of the few real foreign policy successes in the eight years of an otherwise war-dominated Obama Administration. Forget that the promise of normalizing trade relations with Iran would produce untold wealth -- and jobs -- for both the US and Iran. Forget that the Europeans are flocking in droves to resume lucrative trade with Iran, despite president-elect Trump's inexplicable Iranophobia. Forget that as the "Germany of the Middle East," Iran brings to the table "80 million people, an educated workforce, and a proud tradition of manufacturing"and a potential economic bonanza for its partners.read on...

Thursday October 13, 2016

On Tuesday, US Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) wrote a remarkable letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. Citing the "civilian carnage caused by the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen," Rep. Lieu expressed concern to Kerry that the US government might be "liable for war crimes in Yemen," based on continued US material support for the ongoing Saudi attack on its southern neighbor.

According to Rep. Lieu, it seems clear that the Saudis are intentionally targeting civilians in Yemen and for the US to support Saudi Arabia in such an illegal and immoral war would mean Washington shares Riyadh's guilt.read on...

Tuesday February 9, 2016

CIA director John Brennan lost his cool at Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-OR) in a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee today when the Oregon Senator suggested the spy chief should apologize for spying on the Senate.

It was back in 2014 with the Senate was investigating CIA torture activities that Brennan's agency, as his own CIA Inspector General concluded, gained "improper" access to Senate computers with the intent of snooping on the investigation.read on...